Mind, Emotion and Will
by vertigoSWAY
Summary: My CoE fixit. Some days, you can't save anyone, much less everyone. But sometimes you can have that one day that sparkles like the stars of the Medusa Cascade. Sometimes, you can save one person. And that one person makes all the difference. Janto
1. Hope

Jack looked down at the lifeless body of his dead lover. Gwen sobbed silently as Jack put a reassuring hand around her neck. He dared not look in the woman's eyes. He was too scared. Too tired. Too fed up with the pain and struggle… until he realized maybe… He _could_ save them. All of them. He could have. Only if this method worked. He had never tried it before, but hey. There was a first time for everything.

Letting go of Gwen, Jack cupped his hands on Ianto's face. "Jack…" Gwen gave a sound of protest. There was no hope left. She knew it. Jack needed to let go. Ignoring the Welshwoman's objection, Jack bent down to kiss those cold lips. He poured everything he had into that one kiss. His tears, his love, his emotions, his warmth. His life. He gave and gave until Ianto's body glowed a faint gold. Gwen's eyes widened, seeing a repeat of what had happened with Carys when she'd first joined Torchwood. Only this time, Jack was raising the dead.

Ten seconds passed, but Jack didn't break away. This had to work. It just _had _to. Suddenly, he felt the kiss being returned. Opening his eyes, he saw the flickering eyelids. The captain pulled away and glanced at the rise and fall of Ianto's chest. Jack laughed a laugh of relief and pure joy. He looked back at Ianto's now open eyes, but the image was clouded with his tears.

Ianto coughed and coughed as Jack clutched his hand. Beside him, Gwen laughed in joy as well. Gently and hesitantly, Jack let his right hand trail down the right side of Ianto's cheek only to be stopped by Ianto's own hand that gripped his tightly. "You just don't give up do you?" Ianto cried.

"I love you too," Jack simply replied and leaned in for another kiss.

"But how?" Ianto asked as they broke away to take in large breaths of air.

"My life. I poured some into you. I could have saved Tosh…" Jack lamented. "I could have saved them all. I thought I lost you too Yan."

Gwen coughed loudly. "As sweet as the two of you are, we have a planet to save."

"Right!" Jack exclaimed, helping Ianto up. He wrapped his arm around the archivist's waist, causing Ianto to flinch in surprise. A small smiled played on the captain's lips. "First, we go to Ianto's sister's. Protect the children. Then we show the 456 who's boss, but I need to get inside that tank."

"Whoa," Gwen started, suspicious of what Jack was planning. "You're not serious."

"You can't go in there," Ianto agreed, his eyes and voice pleading with Jack.

"I'll be fine," the captain reassured both of them. He planted a soft kiss on Ianto's cheek. "I have you to come back to. So how about your sister's?"

* * *

* * *

**I just couldn't take it. THEY CAN'T DESTROY JANTO!!!! I got pissed off and wrote this instead. xD Please enjoy!  
R & R**


	2. Defiance

Jack stood in the room alone, facing the tank. "You are alone," the 456 stated.

"In flesh? Yes. In spirit? _Hell_ no."

"Your associate is gone."

Jack let out a smirk. "You wish don't you? You wish I'd break so easily. Well tough! Because he is _very_ much alive!" Ianto smiled as he heard Jack through the comms. He was just outside of the Thames House with Gwen. There was a period of silence before Jack continued. "I give you one last choice. You will leave here and never come back. Leave Earth, leave the children and leave forever or I will show you just how serious I can be."

"You yielded once-"

"Cut it," Jack interrupted. "Leave now and tell the rest of your species to never even _think_ about this planet again, because it is _defended_."

"You yielded-" Jack produced a gun which caused the 456 ambassador to spew out green guck onto the glass walls. "Your weapons will not break the barrier."

"They won't," Jack agreed. "But I can." Pressing the button on his earpiece, Jack whispered, "Now."

Looking at Gwen, Ianto pressed enter on the PDA he had wired into the Thames House security system. The alarms rang on Floor 13 and the room was locked down. "Jack…" Ianto whispered into the comms.

"I love you Ianto Jones," Jack said before taking off his earpiece. He set it carefully on the floor. He didn't want Ianto hearing another one of his many deaths. Cautiously, Jack approached the glass door that was sealed shut. With a couple of bullets, the lock was deformed enough for him to completely push the door open. The gas immediately started to fill the room and Jack coughed in agony. But he had a job to do and he was going to finish it.

The bullets in his gun weren't just any ordinary bullets. They were casings filled with blood and hormones. Blood and hormones from adults and teenagers. Preferably teenagers. They were the ones with the abnormal conglomeration and constant fluctuations of chemicals. Exactly what the 456 were allergic to.

Jack fired one shot and then another. Two more casings clattered to the floor before Jack was swept against the glass wall, almost breaking his back. His vision started the blur and he could feel his heart slowing down. Jack was also sure that he'd dislocated his left shoulder and possibly snapped some ribs on the impact with the glass.

The 456 ambassador towered over him now. "You will die," it stated impassively.

"Go to hell," Jack spat back. "You're dying with me." With that, he emptied his gun at the alien. He heard the cries of the alien as he started to drift away. Jack Harkness's last thought before he died, again, was Ianto's face.

* * *


	3. Redemption

The gas had been cleared out of Floor 13 and the air filtered. Ianto dashed into the room as soon as possible and found Jack lying against the glass wall of the tank. The ghastly sight of the 456 ambassador with the human child connected to him scared the archivist. Ianto dared not to think about that as he focused himself on Jack's face. It looked like an angel's. His own sleeping angel.

Ianto knelt down and rested Jack's head on his legs. The Torchwood agent's hands ran down the immortal man's cheeks. There was a flicker of a smile on Ianto's lips as he studied the face he knew so well. Jack gasped loudly as he filled his lungs with oxygen. The first thing he saw was Ianto's eyes.

"'Leave now and tell the rest of your species to never even think about this planet again, because it is defended,'" Ianto repeated thoughtfully. "Very intimidating."

"Really?"

"Yep."

"You don't look intimidated."

"Well…" Ianto began, blushing.

"You're so cute when you're embarrassed," Jack said helping himself up. He flinched as he stood. Ianto reached out to steady him. "Bloody 456," Jack cursed quietly as he felt the ache disappear in his back.

Just then, a UNIT officer arrived on scene. "Stand by," a female voice ordered the soldier. A voice they knew only too well.

"Martha Jones!" Jack declared. "Suddenly after getting blown up, cemented, killed again, almost losing Ianto and killed again with a 456, I hear the song of a nightingale."

"Blown up and cemented?" Martha questioned with her eyes raised.

"We were being targeted," Ianto explained. Martha nodded in understanding.

"So what how was your honeymoon?" Jack inquired.

"Cut short unfortunately. Neither of us could just stand by while the world was in danger. We rushed back to New York as soon as possible. UNIT briefed me and here I am."

"Took them long enough."

"The American generals here weren't allowed to convey information back to base," Martha explained. "It took us a while to find out what really was going on."

"You here to clean up the mess?" Jack hoped.

"Lucky for you," Martha pouted playfully. "You took all the action."

"Well… good luck," Jack told her.

"I'll see you later. At the Hub?"

Immediately, Jack's face darkened. "The Hub's been destroyed. Center of the bomb that was in my stomach."

"Ouch…" Martha winced. "I'm sorry."

"We'll call," Ianto reassured.

* * *


	4. Forever

The Hub had been rebuilt. Not discreetly of course. What's the point of that when you have Retcon to give to the construction workers? It had been one month since the incident with the 456. Christmas time now. Cardiff Christmas. Jack remembered the Doctor telling him about an adventure he had with Rose, Charles Dickens and ghosts (actually rift beings called "gelth") in Cardiff. Hopefully no ghosts were coming to haunt them.

Gwen's baby bump had grown noticeable and for the while, she was demoted to Ianto's job as the tourist manager. In addition to the surviving team, Lois Habiba joined. She turned out to be a wonderful tech genius. Rhys was an unofficial. He and Gwen argued day and night like an old married couple over the decision. Rhys wanted to join, to keep Gwen safe but they both knew that the baby needed taking care of. Eventually they compromised. Rhys would help when called upon. Ianto, on the other hand, moved higher up in the Torchwood hierarchy. This was partially due to his experience but everyone else suspected the real reason that Jones was second-in-command. The one thing that the team lacked now was a medic.

Christmas Eve in the Hub was warm. The lights were dimmed as everyone sipped Ianto's delicious coffee. The team swapped stories and laughed until it turned extremely late. Too tired to go back home, they each spent the night at the Hub. New beds had been put in place just for that purpose. Of course, Ianto's bed upstairs was empty as he snuggled next to Jack. For a while, they listened to each other's rhythmic breathing.

"Jack," Ianto whispered. In response, Jack pulled him in tighter. "Jack…"

"Wha?" Jack yawned.

"I love you."

"I know."

"I want to be with you forever."

There was a sense of hesitation before Jack replied with, "I know."

"I mean it Jack."

"I know you do."

"No Jack," Ianto told him. "I mean _forever_."

Ianto felt Jack pull him in even closer as if he were scared. "Are you sure?" he asked quietly.

"Yes." There was a slight hesitation in the Welshman's voice.

"You want to live my life? You don't even know the pain." So that was what scared Jack about this. The pain the fate came with.

"No, I don't," Ianto agreed. "But I know that I love you like crazy and I want to be with you forever. Please Jack."

"I love you Ianto," Jack told him.

"I know."

"You're sure?"

"Yes. I'm sure."

Jack opened his eyes and stared right into Ianto's. The younger man's eyes were filled with determination and Jack couldn't say no, no matter how hard he tried. Giving his lover a smile, Jack drew Ianto in with a kiss. There were a few moments of lip lock before Ianto felt it move into his body. His cold feet immediately swelled up with warmth.

Jack pulled away and a golden wisp disappeared from his mouth. "Thank you," Ianto told him.

"Forever," Jack promised.

"Yeah."

They fell asleep silently, their hearts beating in unison.

* * *


	5. Epilogue

It was late when Ianto woke up. Late as in noon late. He had never slept so well in his life. He rolled over on Jack's bed before realizing that Jack wasn't there. He bolted upright and looked around. The new second-in-command spied his pants lying on the floor and slipped them on. "Jack?" he called. He slipped on his shirt as he left Jack's office.

"Jack?" he called again and spotted his lover near the lift entrance. Lois, Rhys and Gwen were behind him, half-sleeping. They looked as if they'd just woken up, which was probably the case. What did Jack need them for?

Contrasting to the other three's gloomy moods, Jack was beaming. "What?" Ianto asked.

"Jack, just hurry up," Gwen complained. "I'm tired. Honestly, why do you need an audience for this?"

"For what?" Ianto asked.

"This," Jack said, revealing a small velvet box. He opened it and said, "Cariad, will you marry me?"

_fin_


End file.
